The victims of Pan Am 103

A plane crash is a nightmare of your worst expectations coming true.....we
all fear crashing with our planes and the fear is both plausible and could
happen to all of us at any time - and we cannot do a thing to rescue ourselves
once the plane is heading for touchdown. We are helpless victims of fate,
unable to act in defense of ourselves. That is why the deaths of 270 people
is such terrible news: it could have been us or our families. And even
if we hate to admit it: we are happy it wasn't us or our families. To learn
from the crash of Pan Am 103 we need to learn about the victims: who were
they and why must they and their horrible fate be kept in remembrance?
Overview and quick-menu - press to go to section:

Victim hit
score

They say flying is the safest way to travel. Well this is quite true. Flying
doesn't kill you. Crashing does. Logically, it is not safe to crash. The
AAIB made a very laconic statement in its technical report about the chance
to survive the crash of Pan Am 103: The crash was simply not survivable.
243 passengers killed. 16 crew members. 11 residents of Lockerbie. A total
hit score of 270 persons.

Not every body aboard the plane died from the explosion. 8 passengers
did. Or maybe they didn't die from the explosion after all. Maybe they
were sucked into engine 3 and vaporated. We simply don't know. The 8 bodies
are missing and not accounted for. They were all sitting in rows 23 to
28 in the economy section, just above the blast section.

2 other bodies from aboard the aircraft are not accounted for. 7 Lockerbie
residents are missing. They were residents of the Sherwood Crescent area,
and they probably became vaporated, when the fuel-loaded wing and center
section of the aircraft crashed and exploded.

Cause of death

Post mortem pathological examinations of other victims aboard the plane
indicated no in-flight fire or other indications of shrapnells from any
explosion. No evidence unequivocally indicated any passengers or crew members
had been killed or injured from any explosive blast.So what killed them
?

The
majority of the people aboard Pan Am 103 died as a result of severe multiple
injuries at different stages. In plain english this means they were literally
crushed, hit, ripped apart and cut to death. People were killed as the
aircraft disintegrated, as it hit ground, and some had been thrown from
the aircraft fuselage during integration and at impact.

Most bodies fell in clusters. About 60 victims fell near Lockerbies
famous golf course at the towns east end. About 50 bodies landed together
with the fuselage in Ellen Ramsdens garden.

Some bodies were found in trees, some inside fragments of the plane,
others lying spread-eagled in the mud. Death had reached them quick but
violent. Some of the people aboard the aircraft have been conscious about
their final fate all the way down.For some of them the fall took almost
2 minutes - the lack of oxygene in the uppe spheres might have let people
meet death unconsciously, some might have regained consciousness when falling
further down into oxygene-rich atmosphere. 2 bodies could not be identified.
658 bags of human remains are still to be identified.

Only one woman survived the accident. But not for long. Scottish rescue
workers found a woman on the ground with a pulse.
But the pulse was gone 10 minutes later. The woman was never conscious,
never lived to tell about her experience during those horrible minutes
before the crash.

COULD ANYONE HAVE SURVIVED FLIGHT 103?

Two passengers aboard Flight 103 may have survived the fall from thirtyone
thousand feet, according to a pathologist who testified before a fatal
accident inquiry in Dumfries, Scotland. "The chances are that, even
if they had survived, they would have been deeply unconscious after sustaining
their injuries," said Dr. Anthony Bussuttil.
Bussuttil is a professor of forensic medicine at Edinburgh University
who testified before the inquiry on October 17, 1990. Bussuttil told investigators
that eight pathologists grouped the victims into three categories:

1) the majority of passengers who most likely died immediately from
injuries;

2) a smaller number with less-severe injuries but whose vital organs
were extensively damaged, causing immediate death or unconsciousness;

3) and two passengers with less-severe injuries.

"It is possible that this third group may have survived for a short
time," Bussuttil said.
When asked if one or both might have survived given the "best qualified
medical team possible," Bussuttil replied: "Thereis a possibility
that, if resuscitation was available immediately with access to hospital
facilities, there could have beensurvival." Bussuttil pointed
out that, given the plane's altitude when it exploded, the victims' 2-1/2-minute
free fall would have reached speeds of about 120 miles per hour. "Some
victims may have fallen faster because they were attached toheavy
parts of the aircraft," he explained. "Some may have fallen more slowly
because they were with parts of theaircraft which fluttered down."

Other immediate injuries

Some Lockerbie citizens were injured as a direct result of the crash. 2
serious injuries and 3 with minor injuries, due to one of the falling engines
from the plane, and due to the fire, after impact-explosions. Of course,
many more people obviously must have suffered psychical shocks as the aircraft
crashed in the middle of their small city. Someone may still be suffering
from nightmares, flight-phobia or other mental problems this very day....

Relatives and friends of Pan Am 103-victims still suffer from stress
disorders and depressions today. But right after the crash no one was there
to offer professional disaster councelling for the relatives.

Some passengers even got off the plane, before it took off for the very
last time. Such was Pik Botha, former South
African Foreign Minister a very lucky person....or maybe he knew something,
that the rest of Pan Am 103's unfornunate passengers weren't supposed to
know ? (Mr. Gerrit Pretorius, Mr. Botha`s private secretary at the time,
confirmed that the South African delegation had been booked on fligth Pan-Am
103, but said it had arrived at Heathrow Airport an hour early and the
South African Embassy had arranged a different flight to New York)
Indian citizen Jaswant Basuta was another
lucky passenger - notorious for missing his flights, he missed even this
one while drinking beer with his brother-in-law at the airport. Thus he
never made it to Pan Am 103 - but his luggage did, and after the crash
he was questioned and withheld by British police as a suspect....

Another evident suspect and lucky passenger from Pan Am 103 was a certain
mr. Weinacker who never made it to the gate
of Pan Am 103 in London, although his luggage did - and his suitcase, a
beige softsided Samsonite bag, was loaded into the container, where the
alleged explosion had took place, i.e. container AVE 4041 PA. For a couple
of days mr. Weinacker must have felt like Fhima and Megrahi....but eventually
police let go of him.

Another lucky guy was mr. Steve Green,
Assistant, Office Intelligence DEA. Mr Steve Green has been seen, on the
tarmac, watching the take-off of the doomed plane Pan-Am 103 at London
Airport Heathrow. Together with him, Oliver Revelljunior, survived Pan Am 103 by a lucky strike
of incredible coincidences. Oliver Revell junior is the son of Mr. Oliver
Buck Revell, member of the FBI ...and one of the American head investigators
in the Lockerbie case!

Finally did mr. John McCarty, U.S. Ambassador,
Cyprus, change his mind about boarding Pan Am flight 103. He lived to tell
about it, while others didn't.

The Tragedy of Syracuse University

The average age for
victims was below 35 - Many young people were among the victims of
Pan Am 103, mostly students and army volunteers coming home to the USA
for christmas holiday. Syracuse University in Syracuse, USA, took the worst
hit. 35 students from Syracuse University were passengers aboard the doomed
aircraft Pan Am 103, all killed.

With news update, feature articles, pictures, links and legal information about the 35 Syracuse students victims, put up on the web by Syracuse law students in 1998/9. This is the site to go, if you are looking for recent updates and in-dept coverage of Syracuse Universities relation with Lockerbie and Pan Am 103.

In memory of victims - relatives battle for remembrance
and justice

There have been many crashes with civil airplanes for more than 50 years.
Somehow the crash of PA 103 and the death of 270 innocent people remains
as the worst crash ever in the minds of many people. The victims are all
dead, but their voices have not calmed: relatives and friends have now
for 10 years continuously raised the issue of Pan Am 103 and they tell
the world: "We must never forget the victims of Pan Am 103 and their fate.
"

That's
why Jim Swire, who lost his daughter 21.12.1988 in that crash, formed the
Lockerbie Victim Committee in order to represent the views and anger of
those ever unable to speak up. The commite was formed on April 1st 1989
at Russel Square Hotel, not far from the British Museum. It is named: UK
Families Flight 103 . Apart from a group in the USA, this is the biggest
and most influental group of victim's relatives and friends to continuously
lobby the world for an answer. The leader of the group is dr. James Swire,
father of Fiona Swire, who was killed in the crash.
Apart from a group in the USA, this is the biggest and most influental
group of victim's relatives and friends to continuously lobby the world
for an answer. The leader of the group is dr. James Swire, father of Fiona
Swire, who was killed in the crash.

Paying the damage and the loss: compensation for Pan
Am 103

Besides remaining glued to the issues of the victims, their death and airplane
security, the victim's committes have themselves in the legal battle
for compensation. According to the Warzaw Agreement of International Flight
Insurance, the highest fare of compensation for the death of a passenger
is 57000 USD. But when there is prooof of culpability, the relatives can
raise new cases for higher compensation against airlines by using civil
legislation. Members of the families and friend of victims from UK and
from USA tried to make a legal claim for compensation from Pan Am some
years ago:

The families of three passengers brought proceedings against Pan Am
in New York in 1992 leading to a 13 week trial. The jury returned a special
verdict finding Pan Am guilty of wilful misconduct in disobeying US government
directives requiring the inspection of unaccompanied baggage.
Pan Am were said to have failed to institute the appropriate procedures
at Frankfurt. The jury awarded damages to the three families totalling
US $19,960,000. The cases of 207 other passengers will follow this decision.
Pan Am appealed the judgement of the New York District Court, challenging
both the jury's finding of liability and the amount of damages awarded.
Pan Am's appeal attempted to deal with the evidence relating to the alleged
non-compliance with the regulations, and argued that any non-conformities
were due to innocent mistakes.
The court held that the evidence overwhelmingly supported the jury's
conclusion that, but for Pan Am's wholly inadequate terrorist prevention
techniques and deliberate indifference, the bombing and senseless loss
of life would not have occurred. The awards, however, were altered to disallow
damages for loss of parents' care and guidance where the plaintiff child
was not a minor. The Lockerbie incident struck a deep chord in the
US, standing as a reminder of collective vulnerability to wanton terrorist
acts. The attack also contributed to the demise of Pan Am, one of the world's
first airlines.

This decision paved the way for determination of the balance of passenger
claims.

The American relatives are now starting to find other ways to seek even
more compensation money from elsewhere. Thus they use American civil legislation
to file a lawsuit against Libya, whom they believe is guilty of putting
the bomb on Pan Am 103. How can they do that, when Fhima and Megrahi never
have been tried in the US ?

Well, think back to the O.J.Simpson case.....he was filed not guilty
in a criminal court, but guilty in a civil court, having to pay compensation
even if he was aquitted by the criminal court. This can only happen in
a place like the USA, the only country in the world with such a system.

However, in order to get their claims against Libya tried by a jury,
the evidence against Libya will not be made public by both the criminal
courts in the US as well as the British/Scottish police. They refused to
provide the criminal evidence to the American Victim's commitees for trial.
So until further, there can be no just civil trial against Libya in the
USA to the regret of the many American relatives. Lawyer Lee Kreindler
invited the relatives of the British and Scottish victims to join him in
the USA for such a trial, but surprisingly they refused.

Tomas F. vanTienhoven died 21 December, 1988 on Pan Am flight 103. He graduated
in Civil Engineering, and was Vice President and Director of Tech Services
for Sheraton Management Corporation in London, England.

Graveyards and Memorial Sites

At the crash sites in Lockerbie, Scotland and in the graveyard outside
Lockerbie, there are some historical monuments and victim-shrines. In one
of them at the Lockerbie Graveyard, you can find a public shrine with books
of the lives of every victim killed in the crash, pictures of victimes,
and a book to sign your comment or read what other people have written
in condolence to the victims.

On 21st of December 1993, senator Edward Kennedy made a speech there,
and on December 21st 1995, president William Clinton held a speech
there to further his re-election.
Not all US relatives are happy about their governments and the lack
of effort and enthusiasm for the cause of Pan Am 103. Much talk, but few
actions, is what the relatives say the Clinton administration is doing.

These are victims, too !!!

Not only direct victims of the Lockerbie Incident and their families have
and are suffering. Other people are affected, more or less remotely, by
actions and incidents following the criminal and political trail of the
crash of Pan Am 103. Whether you like it or not - they are victims, too
! You might find this provocative, but as long as no one has been found
guilty of the crime in front of a court of law, suspects are supposed to
be innocent....that is, if they are not unfortunate and born as Libyans...

Human rights say, that any accused person is innocent until procen
guilty . In the legal system of the UN, people are usually innocent
until proven Libyan !!! (or Irish or Iraqi or
Sudanese or muslim or black or jewish or....)

Abdel
Basset Ali al-Megrahi

Some say this Libyan citizen is guilty. He has never been proved to be
guilty. He remains innocent until proven guilty. But he has suffered imprisonment,
psychical harrasment, and his legal rights have been violated. His family
suffers.He cannot travel outside Libya on holiday. He is one of the alleged
culprits, that the governments of USA and UK say is responsible for placing
a bomb aboard Pan Am 103. As things are going right now, he seems just
to be another rival to the list of scapegoats.

Lamen
Khalifa Fhima

Some say this Libyan citizen is guilty. He has never been proved to be
guilty. He remains innocent until proven guilty. But he has suffered imprisonment,
psychical harrasment, and his legal rights have been violated. His family
suffers.He cannot travel outside Libya on holiday. He is one of the alleged
culprits, that the governments of USA and UK say is responsible for placing
a bomb aboard Pan Am 103. As things are going right now, he seems just
to be another rival to the list of scapegoats.

Muammar
Abu Meniar Al-Qadhafi

This is the man, that continously is beeing blamed as the master mind behind
the bombing of Pan Am 103. But not one person has laid forward any proof.
We can go on blaming everybody from the Pope to Mother Teresa for having
done the crime...but without proof, all allegations are pure fantasies.
One might like Qadhafi or dislike him. But he has rights, too. His human
rights are at this minute beeing violated by the accusations of the USA
and the UK. If YOU were in his shoes...wouldn't you suffer, too ? On how
many innocent people will the blame be put, until the USA and the UK are
satisfied and content ?

Libyan citizens, 100 % not involved in the Lockerbie Incident, such
as Libyan children, elderly and other weak Libyan citizens are dying today
because of UN-sanctions against Libya since 1992. They are forced to travel
with ship, since all air-traffic in and out of Libya is forbidden. Some
Libyans actually don't make it travelling through the desert at 40 degrees
celsius. They die of heart failure.